see, SMELL, rejoice

"1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3And everyone went to his own town to register.So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." Luke 2:1-7

There will be many people who will see the image of the birth of Christ in their minds. They will understand the basic facts about His conception, His time in the womb, and the significance of His birth. They will at some point cover the basics on why CHRISTmas is called Christmas and leave it at that. 

There are others, a few less, who will smell the aroma of the birth of Christ in there hearts. They will grasp the irony and majesty of Christ's birth. They will at some point consider the odds that were laid against Him and for a brief moment sit in awe of the reality that He was born to die. Not for himself, but for us.

Then there are the few, yes few, who will rejoice in their soul on the occasion of Christ's birth. They will have seen the imagine of Christ and smelt the aroma of this nobility and then REJOICE. They will not only sit in awe of his majesty and power but have a desire to change the course of not only their own life but the lives of those who they are surrounded by. Few will rejoice.

Sunday night we discussed this idea of smell. Not exactly like the actual smell, cow dung and camel breathe, but the aroma of a Saviors birth. It all started when a teenage girl would have a one of a kind encounter with a messenger of God the Father that would radically change her life. She would receive the news that she would become pregnant while still a virgin and give birth to a son named Jesus. She would need to disregard the stigma and negativity of society in order to fulfill what the messenger had proclaimed. This on its own would be a miracle. Then when the time came and the baby was to born a young man named Joseph would struggle to provide for his love and their child and lay her down in a stable to give birth to their first son. Joseph would be overwhelmed with joy and concern; his son was now here, but he still had only provided an animals home for his sons first night on earth. Only a few shepherds would come that night and rejoice for what they saw, but no one else would see. A couple of years later, 3 magi would come and bring 3 significant gifts to the child. Gold, a symbol of majesty and wealth; incense, a fragrant offering and aroma; myrrh, a resin used in embalming fluid a symbol of death.  Jesus was born to die. Jesus was born to die...for you! This week i want you to consider the fact that Jesus was born to die, and not just a death for death sake but a death that would wipe our slates clean and allow us to be viewed by the Father as white as snow. He was born to die. What does that mean to you? Let me know!!

Love ya

see, SMELL, rejoice